Effective and Sustainable Faecal Sludge and Septage Management (FSSM)

Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), under its initiative on River Pollution Abatement in the Ganga Basin, has been helping shape the urban sanitation landscape of Uttar Pradesh (UP). Moving away from traditional, centralised wastewater management, CSE has been advocating inclusive, decentralised, and sustainable faecal sludge and septage management (FSSM). The state has now established a number of faecal sludge treatment plants (FSTPs) and cotreatment facilities.

However, infrastructure alone does not ensure success. Sustained performance of these plants depends heavily on how well they are operated and maintained. Recognising this, CSE, in association with the Department of Urban Development (DoUD), Government of Uttar Pradesh, has developed a set of comprehensive Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for the O&M of these systems and plants. Officially launched in 2024, the SOP is now a mandatory guideline for all Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) managing FSTPs and co-treatment facilities across the state.

Thoughtfully designed and context-specific, the SOP distills the diverse range of technical configurations used in Uttar Pradesh for treating faecal sludge and septage into a simplified framework comprising the following:

• Four technological combinations of FSTPs, broadly categorised as hybrid and nature-based systems.
• Five configurations of co-treatment systems designed to treat faecal sludge and septage along with municipal sewage.

This framework is not only relevant to UP -- it has wider relevance nationally and internationally. The SOP is replicable, and by encompassing most of the treatment chains found across India and in many other countries, offers valuable insights to practitioners, city officials and technical experts who are navigating the complexities of FSS treatment. It can serve as a valuable reference especially for African nations and other regions that are in the early stages of implementing FSSM initiatives.

We invite you to a webinar to discuss the SOPs and understand how they can help in effective management of FSTPs and co-treatment plants. In the webinar, we plan to share insights from labbased evaluation of FSS treatment performance and its challenges, and exchange knowledge and best practices.

FOR MORE DETAILS, PLEASE CONTACT:

HARSH YADAVA
Programme officer, Water Programme, CSE
Email: harsh.yadava@cseindia.org
Mobile: +91-870938775